Ed Francisco, Pulitzer Prize nominee in both fiction and poetry, will discuss Southern literature in the third installment of Gordon College’s year-long Southern Culture Series on November 1.

Francisco’s newest collection of poetry is “The Alchemy of Words,” where, in the tradition of the alchemists of the Middle Ages, he “searches for the precise words that will transmute common experience into golden language that will shed light on why we live the way we do.”

The author has two published novels – “The Dealmaker” and “Till Shadows Flee,” and is co-editor of “The South in Perspective,” an anthology of Southern literature used in colleges and universities across the country. He is associate professor and writer in residence at Pellissippi State in Knoxville, Tenn., where he developed the creative writing program.

Francisco will discuss Southern literature in general and the problems and pleasures of assembling an anthology. He will also be available to discuss and sign his newest release.

The event is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 1 at 8 p.m. in the Gordon College Fine Arts auditorium. It is free and open to the public.

The Southern Culture Series is designed to “celebrate the rich diversity of our Southern culture,” according to Robert Vaughan, vice president of academic affairs who, along with a faculty committee chaired by professor Marvin Thomas, developed the series.

“We want to draw a wide audience of people to develop an appreciation for the uniqueness of Southern culture,” Vaughan added.

Other events in the Southern Culture Series include:

• Two-time Grammy winner, Nashville Bluegrass Band, will perform Friday, Jan. 25. The band’s music was featured on the movie soundtracks of, “O Brother Where Art Thou,” and “Cold Mountain.” The performance is at 8 p.m. and tickets for this event are $15.

• The Gordon College Theatre will present “Crimes of the Heart,” a play set in Mississippi that focuses on three sisters who have been reunited because one shot her husband for beating up her boyfriend. Performances are set for Feb. 13-18, 2008.

• John Shelton Reed, director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of North Carolina and author of “My Tears Spoiled My Aim,” “Minding the South,” and “1001 Things Everyone Should Know About the South,” will speak Thursday, March 13.

The Series will conclude in April with the annual BBQ and Blues Festival held in downtown Barnesville.

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